Children more likely to face abuse at school than at home, survey reveals

Dubai, UAE: Children are abused more often at school than at home, a survey of more than 4,100 pupils has shown.

And the most common perpetrators are their friends and fathers, the children say.

The largest national survey on the topic, Abuse against Children in the UAE Society, was released on Wednesday by the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.

Of the 4,111 pupils at 39 private schools across the UAE – expatriate and Emirati – 6.5 per cent said they were abused at home, compared with 12.3 per cent at school.

Among the top forms of abuse were psychological and physical, with sexual abuse the least prevalent.

The study, conducted in the 2013 to 2014 academic year, asked children between the ages of 10 and 18, in Grades 5 to 12, to fill out a detailed questionnaire at school.

It found those in Grades 6 to 9 were most vulnerable to abuse.

More boys than girls reported abuse, with 7.2 per cent of boys telling of abuse at home, compared with 5.7 per cent of girls.

At school, 15.1 per cent of boys said they suffered abuse, compared with 9.3 per cent of girls.

Slightly more than half of the respondents, 50.6 per cent, were boys.

The study also showed that 5.7 per cent of Emirati children were exposed to abuse at home and 11.5 per cent at school, said Badriya Al Farsi, programmes and research director at the foundation.

Researchers found that children shut down when asked specific questions about sexual abuse.

“They don’t like it if you put a question like who ‘sexually abused you? Was it your father or your mother?’” said Aisha Al Midfa, the foundation’s programmes and research officer.

“That is scary for them to reveal.”

But broader questions on sexual abuse at home, such as, “Was the abuser older than you?” prompted 58.6 per cent of those who said they had been abused to respond, “Yes.”

For 29.9 per cent the abuser at home was the same age, 11.5 per cent said those responsible for abuse were younger.

When asked if they would like to reveal who the person was, there was no response.

A breakdown shows psychological abuse, at 39 per cent, was the main type in schools, followed by physical at 34 per cent and sexual at 27 per cent.

At home psychological abuse, at 23 per cent, was most prevalent, closely followed by witnessing violence and experiencing physical abuse, both at 22 per cent, neglect at 18 per cent, and sexual abuse at 15 per cent.

The death of both parents could lead to a child being exposed to frequent abuse at home and in school, Ms Al Farsi said.

Children answered Arabic or English questionnaires during a regular 45-minute lesson, with about three volunteers or supervisors for each class present to clarify questions.

The students surveyed comprised 20.2 per cent Emirati children, 43.9 per cent from the Arab region, and 35.9 per cent from other nationalities.

The aim was to provide a profile of those who abuse children and increase awareness to better protect youngsters, foundation officials said.

The study was an important milestone in the fight against violence towards children as there was very little local data on the topic, said Afra Al Basti, the foundation’s director general.